[ Just as all the Saints entered the ship's cabin, Tenma and the others ran for a few minutes before finally finding the spaceship's core.
As long as the Orichalcum was placed inside, the ship would activate, but... since the hull was made of divine wood from Mount Olympus, perhaps to test their will, the path to the core was covered in thorns.
At this moment, the Jackal Saint gritted his teeth and stepped forward, turning his body into a shield, smashing through the thorns ahead, and opening a blood-soaked path of hope for the Saints.
By the time they successfully reached the central hub, the Jackal Saint could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, his unyielding soul merging with the ship's hull!
Outside the ship, Sagittarius Sisyphus, holding his golden bow, was still locked in a bitter struggle with Aiacos:
"This is the ship everyone has protected until now!!"
Suddenly, the ship shook violently, and the next moment, this giant ship, which had been dormant for hundreds of years, soared into the sky.
Aiacos was slightly surprised to see this: "How beautiful! Has that broken ship also soared into the sky..." ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"It really flew up! What a brilliant will."
Everyone silently watched the Jackal Saint, who had carved out a path with his life, deeply moved in that instant. This emotion, like a surging wave, swept away everyone's thoughts.
Did the Saints never fear death, willingly using their bodies to smash through thorny paths?
"So... it's never just the Gold Saints who shine. Even those who are considered weak never yield."
Although the stars scattered across the sky were not as dazzling as the bright moon, the light they emitted in that instant was blinding.
.....
〜Type-Moon World, ██████ Worldline, Chaldea〜
Seeing this scene, Mash's eyes dimmed a little,
"We were too focused on the splendor of the Gold Saints, but we overlooked that this Holy War was never a one-person battle."
Under the shining light of the Gold Saints, many other Saints still flocked, like moths to a flame, doing their utmost to contribute their strength to the Holy War.
Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded:
"Yes... even the Bronze Saints give a feeling of being flesh and blood."
Although they were not as powerful as the Gold Saints, their will was not weak. They were willing to use their bodies as the cornerstone of victory in the Holy War.
.....
[ Although Aiacos was somewhat astonished that this ancient giant ship could actually soar into the sky, however...
"You still don't seem to understand. You are only fit to crawl on the ground!"
The black ship below had already aimed its massive, dark cannon barrel at the giant ship in the sky, and Aiacos stood on the cannon barrel with a contemptuous smile.
"Snap—"
"GARUDA FLAP—!"
With a snap of his fingers, a Specter stepped forward and began to burn with raging flames. Aiacos unhesitatingly shoved him into the cannon barrel, using his flesh as a cannonball.
"SURENDRAJIT—!"
A roar echoed through the heavens and earth, and a huge fireball shot towards the ship of hope in the sky. Yato sharply turned the rudder, narrowly avoiding it, but the cannonball transformed into a rain of fire in the sky.
In a critical moment, Sisyphus drew his bow and shot an arrow into the sky. The golden arrow transformed into a myriad of streaking lights, intercepting all the fire rain.
Tenma looked back and saw Sisyphus standing on the ship's railing, spreading his massive golden wings, protecting the hull as it continued to advance. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Good heavens, using his subordinates as cannon fodder is something else. Why would Specters willingly follow such a boss?!"
"I want to know if Asmita's rosary beads only work when a Saint defeats a Specter, and if Specters killing Specters has no effect?"
Aiacos's actions were quite explosive, even making everyone wonder what exactly was so appealing about the Underworld that so many people willingly became Specters, only to be utterly used as cannon fodder.
.....
〜Konosuba World〜
"Hiss—how ruthless..."
This scene made even the sadistic Kazuma gasp. Compared to this, the Demon King's army was truly simple and pure in its customs.
"Is Yato really driving a spaceship for the first time?... His luck is comparable to Kazuma's."
The carefree and foolish goddess Aqua, sprawled on the sofa, seemed a bit surprised.
She really wanted to say to Yato, "Why are you so skilled?!" You're not driving a ship for the first time, yet you manage to narrowly avoid attacks every time. Your luck is unparalleled.
.....
[ A moment later, the relentlessly pursuing Aiacos, driving the black ship covered in raging flames, suddenly accelerated, transforming into a giant black bird, aiming for the ship of hope in the sky.
At the critical moment, Sisyphus stepped onto the bow, his Cosmo erupting, directly clashing with the black ship. The intense flames scorched his body, making him clench his jaw!
But through the flames, he saw Aiacos throwing Specters into the sea of fire one after another as fuel. The wails of the Specters sent chills down his spine.
Sisyphus's eyes instantly turned cold. He vowed to defeat this demon who slaughtered his subordinates,
"CHIRON'S LIGHT IMPULSE—!!"
A violent hurricane swept out from Sisyphus as its center, followed by a thick beam of energy that instantly blasted out, directly repelling the massive black ship.
The hurricane unleashed by Sisyphus swept towards Aiacos, pushing the black ship back several hundred meters, and extinguishing the flames on its hull instantly.
The Specters who were previously in the sea of fire were thus saved, and they looked at their bodies in astonishment,
"Lord Aiacos's flames have disappeared..."
"Why... are we being pitied by the enemy? We..." ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"What a feat, resisting a ship with just his body. The Saints' bodies are truly hardcore; he wasn't even flattened."
"Are you sure Aiacos isn't a mole?! It feels like he's sacrificed more Specters than the Saints have defeated. That's impressive."
Everyone looked at Sisyphus with some surprise. While repelling the black ship, he didn't forget to extinguish the flames on the Specters. Was his heart perhaps too merciful? Those were enemies; why save them?!
"A certain 1,000-year-old Elf once said, 'Once a Specter, always a Specter...'"
He seemed to have said it, anyway, in everyone's eyes, the Specters would eventually be dealt with, so there was no need to save them. Would they save them only to beat them up again? Wouldn't that be redundant?
.....
〜Bleach World〜
Shunsui Kyoraku frowned:
"Is this the unique magnanimity and benevolence of Sagittarius? But... being too gentle isn't always a good thing."
He didn't dislike gentle people, but this was a battlefield, and being overly gentle wasn't good. Mercy to an enemy was cruelty to oneself.
Unohana Retsu's eyes narrowed slightly:
"No wonder he gets into a rut; too soft a heart can easily be hurt."
Although usually kind and amiable, none of the captains present were easygoing when facing enemies. They all viewed Sisyphus's action with a hint of concern.
.....
[ Sisyphus's action even drew a mocking smile from Aiacos, his enemy: "How utterly ridiculous!!"
"They are nothing but slaves, only valuable when sacrificed for me."
As he spoke, a dozen more Specters were incinerated into fireballs and thrown into the giant cannon. The black ship accelerated again, directly colliding with the ship of hope.
Aiacos, believing the ship of hope to be destroyed, revealed a sinister smile: "It's over, Sagittarius!"
Suddenly, his smile froze. He found that the black ship was actually losing ground: "What..."
Aiacos looked back and saw that the Specters behind him were filled with confusion and bewilderment, seemingly no longer intending to serve him.
Seeing this, Aiacos's face twisted into a ferocious expression: "As long as I, the master, am here, it's enough."
Vast power surged out, carrying the black ship and the Specters as it crashed into the ship of hope. The immense impact carved a deep gash in the ground.
Above the gash, Sisyphus and Aiacos still stood in mid-air, facing each other. For them, this great battle had perhaps only just truly begun. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"No wonder they rebelled. Aiacos's emotional intelligence is too low. Just think it, don't say it out loud! If you say something like that, only a fool wouldn't rebel against you."
"It seems Sisyphus's mercy wasn't in vain; it actually worked. Although there was an element of gambling, he gambled correctly."
Aiacos's cruelty and Sisyphus's mercy were a stark contrast. Since they were all going to die anyway, the Specters weren't fools; everyone knew how to choose.
Looking at the two figures facing each other in mid-air, everyone clearly understood that the struggle between the ships was over.
Now, the real battle, the battle between Sagittarius and one of the Three Judges, was about to begin.
.....